My dear, you are asking me to tell you question also! Is it your New Year resolution not to use your brain come what may? You want to borrow even questions! No way. The questions have to be yours. It’s not school where they give you questions and you give answers. Here you have to come up with the question. And you don’t have to; if it comes up in you then that is your question. Nobody can tell you what question you should ask, what you should prayer for or what you should seek. It is a spontaneous outcome from within. Need is not to be dictated by somebody or anybody. Need is that which arises from within. In reality when you come in this energy all questions in you disappears.

Q: Gurudev, If we have come from God, we are a part of God and to dissolve in God is our aim then why do we do stupidity of moving away from God?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Sometimes you get bored of sitting at your home and you go for a walk. But then you come back. If you don’t come back home then people like us come to take you back home.

Q: Gurudev, How can we know if our devotion has fully matured or not?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Don’t worry about if your devotion is matured or not. Know that devotion is there. Never think that you don’t have devotion or you lack devotion.

Q: Gurudev, Is it necessary to be competitive?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

With yourself. Compete with yourself.

Q: Gurudev, When will my family come on this path?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Don’t worry. Everyone will come to the path slowly.

Q: Gurudev, How do you deal with people who keep hurting you time and again?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Come on, nobody can hurt you, at the most they can blabber. When they blabber, they do it out of their ignorance. If you don’t want to get hurt, nobody can hurt you. You should realize you are strong and nobody can hurt you. It’s good to have some spicy crackers here and there. You should be a director, if you are a player in the play, you get stuck into it. You should just become a witness. Notice your mind when you’re upset. Something is happening inside the body.

Q: Gurudev, You often say we all are like your hairs and you come to know even if one hair is stretched. I have been pulling your hairs since many days, but it seems as if you haven’t noticed it?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

(With a naughty laughter) yes, some of the hairs seem to have been uprooted! Everything has its own time. If you pray and wish all your prayers get fulfilled today itself, it is not possible. Have patience. (Making a gesture with his hands where right hand is facing audience and second is slanted downwards, and both palms shown above) Have you seen hands of all Gods and Goddesses like this? Same for Laxmi, Vishnu…Do you know its meaning? Have patience, I am giving. This is one meaning, when you need something. Another meaning is – come, surrender and you find there is no need to be afraid of anything whatsoever. (Right palm raised and facing audience) This is called abhaya mudra. Abhaya means without any fear. (Left hand slanting downwards with palm facing sky) And this is called Varada mudra which indicates - I am giving you whatever you want. I don’t mind even if you ask for more.

Q: Gurudev, Is there life on other planets?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

There is plenty here. Let us care for them first. Not to worry about other planets now.

Q: Gurudev, How much difference is there between science and spirituality? Why do not scientists believe in spirituality?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Evolved scientists surely believe in spirituality. Those who are not yet fully evolved may not believe in spirituality. Scientists like Einstein had said that he had never seen or heard a book like Bhagwad Geeta. If you hear a quantum physicist talking, you will feel as if the text is being quoted from the scriptures only. ‘What is this?’ is science.’ Who am I?’ is spirituality. We need both science and spirituality to bring contentment to our soul.